Strength Training for Women

I know this girl. She used to go the gym 5 days a week. Alternating cardio machines for 90 mins. She wasn’t overweight. But neither was she “toned” as she desired. She was skinny & fat.

Yes that exists: skinny & fat. That’s how you become when you don’t give your body the nutrition it needs for recovery. Your body burns muscles & holds fat.

I told her once to get into strength training & eat more healthy. But I got the classic response: “I don’t want to end up bulky & muscular like a man”.

You Won’t Get Bulky. Remember: your bodyweight depends on the amount of calories you eat & expend. Strength training will make you gain muscle & lose fat. But you’ll stay at the same bodyweight unless you start eating more.

Women have lower testosterone levels than men. Muscle mass & strength depend on your testosterone levels. The only way women can get as muscular as man is by using steroids or pro-hormones.

Benefits for Women. I wrote about the reasons to starts strength training in the past. They’re the same for women:

Less Fat. More muscles, decreased body fat at the same bodyweight.

Balanced Physique. Many women are skinny in the upperbody & bulky in their legs. Strength training will balance your physique.

Women’s Results. The difference in testosterone levels will influence the results you’ll achieve as a woman. In general:

Increased muscle mass. But less than a man.

Decreased body fat. 16% for women is the same as 10% for men.

Increased strength. But again less than a man.

In terms of physique, look at the women at CrossFit. Example picture top right: Annie. They’re athletic, in shape & not bulky. Their secret is simple: training hard, consistently & eating healthy.

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